My friend and colleague Chris Stewart has compiled a list of 26 rules for the ed reform debate and I must say, I’m with him on these. Far too often, those who sit from a perch of privilege (or at least a pretty comfortable place), speak, write, and tweet as if they have the right to dictate what other parents should and shouldn’t be able to do for their children. Countless parents choose the school they want for their children and then actively work to block low income parents from doing the same thing. Sure, they may not have much money or influence but they certainly love their children just as much as the parents standing in their way. And the pundits and advocates working against low income parents who don’t have any kids their own? Yeah, they need to pipe down too. I

It’s high time to move away from the hypocrisy and pervasive case of ‘do as I say, not as I do.’ It’s time to empower parents.

Here’s just a taste of the list of rules:

4. If you benefited from a private school education, don’t come up with fancy reasons to deny others the same.

5. If your only experience in teaching low-income students is bad experience, don’t write a book about education.

6. Do not oppose School Reform until you are willing to put your child in the worst performing school in your city.

Click here to read the full list at Citizen Ed.